Ian's Tombstone

On Monday, Ian's tombstone was finally set. It was so wonderful to see a permanent marker at his grave site. And I love how the stone turned out. 

First are the flowers. Like everything else related to Ian, I wanted the flowers I put at his grave to have meaning. I chose 3 white roses, one for Ian, Eric and I. The color white represents purity and innocence. If you look closely, you'll see on one of the flowers is a white butterfly, which has come to be my symbol for Ian. 

Now for his stone. I really had no idea what I wanted. I knew how I wanted his nursery painted, what I wanted his bedding to look like, what we would put on the walls. But a headstone? That wasn't even on my mind. Then it hit me. When I would visit Ian's grave, the marker that the funeral home had placed out there had his hand and footprints on it. Every time I left, I would kiss my fingers and place them over his little hands. At that moment I knew that I wanted his tiny hand and footprints on his stone. 

I also knew I wanted his stone to say something special. I instantly thought of the book that we placed in Ian's coffin with him. The very last line of the book reads: "Heaven blew every trumpet and played every horn on the wonderful, marvelous night you were born." I can't think of a more perfect line to put on the stone of our son who entered Heaven the day he was born. I picture the angels celebrating with fanfare the fact that Ian is with them, living eternally in God's good grace. It puts a huge smile on my face. Now every time I visit Ian, I'll be reminded that he is in the best place that he can be. And if I can't hold him in my arms every day, I'm glad that God gets to. 

So if you're ever driving by the New St. Peter's Cemetery, stop by. I'm sure Ian would love a visit!